Green tackles new role as event facilitator

Former Queenstown Winter Festival director Simon Green
began work as the Queenstown Lakes District Council event
facilitator on Monday, following a decision made in February to
establish an "events office" within the council.

Mayor Vanessa van Uden said it was a role the community,
through the Shaping Our Future forums, believed was required
given the numerous event and business opportunities within
the district.

Community general manager Paul Wilson said Mr Green had
experience running his own event management company and
brought with him "an incredible wealth of experience and
local knowledge".

Mr Green said he was looking forward to the new role.

"I am coming at this with good knowledge of the industry and
a pretty strong handle of how this role can be developed to
grow and nurture existing and new events. I can't wait."

The part-time position would see Mr Green work with community
arts facilitator Jan Maxwell to deliver a dedicated Events
Office for the first time.

"Jan and Simon will be working with existing organisers to
ensure we not only support events in this district but
actively promote the Queenstown Lakes as a premier event
location," Mr Wilson said.

The pair would also work closely with an events advisory
group, adopted by the full council on Tuesday.

"The priority is to firmly establish the platform for a
long-term funding model, not only for the event office, but
also for a contestable fund that can be utilised to support,
develop and secure events in the region," Ms van Uden said.

The case must then be made to the council to provide the
funds required for consideration as part of the annual
planning process.

Terms of reference for the advisory group included guiding
the event office business plan and operational activities.

The proposed membership of the group was from throughout the
district, she said.

The council has budgeted $100,000 per annum, which includes
$50,000 for the establishment of a new role plus an
additional $50,000 for community events in year one of the
10-year-plan.